Sensitive drugs are controlled to minimize risk and ensure that they are not abused, or cause adverse reactions. Such sensitive drugs are approved for specific uses by the Food and Drug Administration, and must be prescribed by a licensed physician in order to be purchased by consumers. Some drugs, such as cocaine and other common street drugs are the object of abuse and illegal schemes to distribute for profit. Some schemes include Dr. shopping, diversion, and pharmacy thefts. A locked cabinet or safe is a requirement for distribution of some drugs.
Certain agents, such as gamma hydroxy buterate (GHB) are also abused, yet also are effective for therapeutic purposes such as treatment of daytime cataplexy in patients with narcolepsy. Some patients however, will obtain prescriptions from multiple doctors, and have them filled at different pharmacies. Still further, an unscrupulous physician may actually write multiple prescriptions for a patient, or multiple patients, who use cash to pay for the drugs. These patients will then sell the drug to dealers or others for profit.
There is a need for a distribution system and method that directly addresses these abuses. There is a further need for such a system and method that provides education and limits the potential for such abuse.